Psychobiotics: Just a fad? Or here to stay?

By Kathy
15th May 2014

Mental health issues are now thought to affect one in six people in the UK, and to cost the economy a staggering £105 billion per year [1]. In order to raise public awareness of this growing problem and to help de-stigmatise mental health issues, the ‘Mental Health Foundation’ designate one week each year in May as ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’. This year the theme for the awareness week is anxiety, and between 12-18th May there will be many local events taking place throughout the UK to highlight the effects of this condition on sufferers and their families.

So, with mental health at the forefront of our thoughts this week, we thought it timely to take a look at ‘psychobiotics’. What does this newly conceived term actually mean? And, does it represent a significant scientific breakthrough, or is it simply a ‘re-naming’ of existing knowledge?

According to the 'Society of Biological Psychiatry' the term ‘psychobiotics’ is defined as a ‘live organism that, when ingested in adequate amounts, produces a health benefit in patients suffering from psychiatric illness’. It is thought that these probiotic bacteria species exert their beneficial effects on mental health and mood via a number of different pathways. According to Professor Selhub and colleagues [2] at Harvard Medical School, psychobiotics:

Reduce toxic burden via the reduction of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines

So, unlike most allopathic medical treatments, these beneficial bacteria strains have many different ‘modes of action’, rather than just one. They impact our mood and mental well-being in a number of different ways, giving them huge potential as a therapeutic tool in the treatment of mental health disorders.

New evidence is emerging all the time to back up the claims that ‘psychobiotics’ may represent a significant breakthrough in the field of nutritional-psychiatry. Just last week we posted a blog examining the link between anxiety and probiotics. An article in the June edition of Red magazine reports that 2 specific strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell–52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-71 that are in our For every day supplement can be very helpful in the treatment of anxiety and panic disorders. The full article can be read here.

So, whether ‘Psychobiotics’ are a new scientific phenomena, or just a sexy new name for probiotics, and more specifically the influence they exert on the ‘gut-brain axis’ , shall be left to debate, but either way, the fact that they are now such a hot topic, can only be a good thing for future research and development. We think that the science behind ‘psychobiotics’ is here to stay. Whether the new name will stick remains to be seen, but we are excited about the increasing focus on the role of probiotics in supporting those with mental health disorders.

At OptiBac Probiotics we are always excited by new research in to the role of the microbiome, and the myriad of ways that it impacts our health. We are so passionate about probiotics, that we dedicate all of our time and energy to them. Probiotics is all we do!

To coincide with 'Mental Health Awareness Week' we have been posting natural health tips for helping to deal with anxiety and other mental health conditions on our Facebook page. Click here to visit our page, and to find out ways to help manage your symptoms naturally.

Comments

Margaret
29th Dec 2015

I want to buy probiotic that is the best for mental health for my son who is very unwell with his mental health. Thank you

Kerry Beeson, Nutritional Advisor, OptiBac Probiotics
8th Jan 2016

Hello Margaret,

Thank you for reaching out to us with your question, and I'm so sorry that your son is unwell.

As you know, I've emailed you directly about this, and so my advice would remain the same as in my previous reply to you. I agree that this area of research is extremely interesting, and it's a subject that we are constantly monitoring to evaluate the latest emerging evidence. If you have a read of this article again, you'll note that a couple of the strains used in related research studies are contained in one of our products.
See this paragraph: 'An article in the June edition of Red magazine reports that 2 specific strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell–52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-71 that are in our 'For every day' supplement can be very helpful in the treatment of anxiety and panic disorders.'

Exciting stuff - let's hope that more research continues to be done in this field.

I wish you and your son the very best of health,

Kerry

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